Stemware bracket



Jan. 27, 1970 Y c. 1.. MORRIS 3,491,893

. STEMWARE BRACKET 4 Filed July 5, 1988 FIG.- I. /fi

Z 11. "I H I I, a j, [In A I if? IJLI/Z/ I l 62 E4 [Z INVENTOR. CHARLES L. MORRIS z'mww ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,491,893 STEMWARE BRACKET Charles L. Morris, 78 Blue Ridge Lane, West Hartford, Conn. 06117 Filed July 3, 1968, Ser. No. 742,449 Int. Cl. A47f 7/28 US. Cl. 211-60 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A two-part bracket, for supporting stemware from the inside of a hinged cabinet door, has a plurality of slots to slidably receive the ware in sockets defined at spaced locations along each of the slots. Both bracket parts are made from a plastic material and these parts are similar top and bottom and therefore reversible for use on either left, or right-hand opening, doors. The slots extend radially inwardly from an outer partially arcuate edge of the bracket toward a vertex or corner adjacent the hinged edge of the door. One of the bracket parts can be used alone on narrower cabinet doors, and both parts can be interlocked for use on a somewhat wider door.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION This invention relates to door mounted brackets for storing stemware on the inside of a hinged door, and deals more particularly with a two-part bracket construction which can be used on either left-hand or right-hand opening doors.

A general object of the present invention is to provide a stemware bracket wherein the ware is loosely retained in one or more slots in the bracket, these slots being so arranged with respect to the bracket and with respect to the door on which the bracket is mounted that the ware does not tend to slide out of the slots, or swing in the bracket, as the door is moved between its opened and its closed position.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a stemware bracket of the foregoing character which can be used on either right-hand or left-hand opening doors.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a stemware bracket which can be used on doors of various widths.

The drawing shows a preferred embodiment of the invention and such embodiment will be described, but it will be understood that various changes may be made from the construction disclosed, and that the drawing and description are not to be construed as defining or limiting the scope of the invention, the claims forming a part of this specification being relied upon for that purpose.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded plan view of a two-part stemware bracket constructed in accordance with the present invention, with the base of one stemware article being shown in broken lines, and with two right-hand opening doors of the type on which this bracket can be mounted.

FIG. 2 is an end view of the two-part bracket shown in FIG. 1 with one article of stemware being shown in broken lines mounted in the single slot provided in one of the parts thereof.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the bracket shown in FIG. 1 attached to a hinged door in accordance with the present invention, and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 44 of FIG. 1 with a portion of a stemware article shown supported in a socket of the type provided in each slot in this bracket.

Patented Jan. 27, 1970 Detailed description Turning now to the drawing in greater detail, FIG. 1 shows a hinged right-hand opening cabinet door 10 of conventional construction having a conventional hinge 12 located at one edge for movement of the door between a closed and an opened position. A somewhat wider cabinet door 14 is also shown in part and it too is fitted with a conventional hinge 18 as shown. Although right-hand opening doors 10 and 14 are shown in FIG. 1, it will be apparent from the description to follow that the two-part bracket to be described can also be used with a left-hand opening door (not shown) without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In accordance with the present invention, a bracket 20 is provided with a flanged inner, or first edge 22, for abutting the inside of the door 10, and a plurality of screws 24, 24 are provided for mounting the bracket 20 in a generally horizontal plane to the generally vertically extending door 10. Thus, the bracket part 20 forms a generally planar shelf which extends inwardly from the inside surface of the door and has an outer edge 26 which is arcuate in contour so as to clear the door opening or jamb when the door is moved on the hinge line defined by the hinges 12, 12. The shelf or bracket part 20 also has a second edge 28 which cooperates with the first edge 22 to form a corner, or vertex 30, adjacent the hinged edge of the door.

The shelf or bracket part 20 is provided with a plurality of slots 32, 34, 36 and 38 opening outwardly to the arcuate edge 26 and extending generally radially toward the corner 30 and toward the hinged edge of the door 10 so as to receive inverted stemware as shown in FIG. 4. As a result of the generally radial orientation of the slots with respect to the hinged edge of the door, the tendency of the stemware to slide in the slots as a result of moving the door between its closed and its open position is substantially reduced.

In further accordance with the present invention, each of these slots is further characterized by radially spaced sockets 40, 40 which sockets retain the base portion of the stemware at a location thereon which is radially spaced from the centerline 42 of the ware by a distance 44, best shown in FIG. 4. As a result of the distance 44 being maximized in a bracket of the type described, the tendency of the ware to swing with respect to the bracket as the door is swung is substantially reduced. Preferably, the annular seating surfaces of the sockets 40, 40 are textured for increasing the frictional resistance thereof with respect to the ware, thereby further reducing the tendency of the ware to swing pendulously as a result of door opening and closing movement.

It is a further feature of the present invention that each of the slots 32, 34, 36 and 38 are necked down slightly in width adjacent the outer radial ends thereof as indicated generally at 46, 46 so that the ware must be raised slightly to align a somewhat narrower portion of the stem with the shelf when removing the ware. Thus, a slight lifting motion is necessary when removing the ware from the slot. As so constructed, any tendency of the stemware to slide in the slot, especially when not properly seated in an associated Socket, cannot result in the stemware being inadvertently thrown from its associated slot upon abrupt opening or closing movement of the door 10. This feature also assures that the outermost articles of stemware in those sockets adjacent the arcuate edge 26 are positioned far enough inwardly so as not to be damaged by the door opening, or jamb' (not shown). Preferably, however, the stemware is placed in the bracket 20 so that the various base portions of the stemware articles are properly seated in their associated sockets 40, 40 with the result that all of the stemware articles in the bracket are properly spaced from one another to prevent striking one another when the door is opened or closed. For example, when using stemware of approximately 3 inches in outside diameter on a bracket for use with a door between and 12 inches wide, eight such stemware articles can be stored in the bracket part shown in FIG. 1.

Preferably, the bracket part 20 is fabricated from a molded plastic material and has similar top and bottom surfaces as shown in FIG. 3 both of which are provided with reinforcing ribs 39, 39. Both the top and bottom surfaces also define sockets of the type shown in FIG. 1 at 40, 40 for retaining the base portion of the stemware when the bracket is used either in the position shown or in an inverted position as would be required with a lefthand opening door. Also, in the same vein the flanged edge 22 of the bracket 20 includes a depending flange as shown at 22a which can be seen to be symmetrical with respect to the top and bottom surfaces of the reversible bracket.

In further accordance with the present invention, a second bracket part or shelf extension 50 is provided for adapting the shelf 20 foruse with a somewhat wider cabinet door 14, when extension 50 permits the storage of an additional four stemware articles A, A (one shown) in the slot 52 provided therefor. The slot 52 includes a plurality of sockets 40, 40 identical to those described hereinabove with reference to the slots 32 through 38 inclusively in the shelf 20. The shelf extension 50 has a front edge 54 which abuts the second shelf edge 28 of the bracket part 20, both of which edges have cooperating protrusions 56, 56 and sockets 58, 58 for interlocking the bracket parts 50 and 20 when assembled for mounting to an oversized door as indicated at 14. These edges 28 and 54 are provided with integral reinforcing ribs which abut one another to form a generally radially extending rib between the slots 36 and 52. The shelf extension 50 also includes a reinforcing rib adjacent its rear edge 60'.

area 66 of the stemware to further protect the ware from engagement with the door.

I claim:

1. A bracket for use on a hinged door to support stemware or the like, said bracket comprising a generally planar shelf having a first edge with-a flange for abutting the inside of the door, means for mounting said shelf to the door, an outer edge of said shelf which is arcuate and clears the door opening when the door is moved between its closed and its open position, said shelf having a second edge which cooperates with said first edge to form a corner of said shelf adjacent the hinged edge of the door, said shelf having at least one slot opening outwardly to said arcuate edge and extending generally toward said corner for receiving inverted stemware.

2. A bracket as set forth in claim 1 wherein a plurality of such slots are provided in said shelf, all of said slots extending generally radially toward said corner and toward the hinged edge of the door so that the inverted stemware stored therein does not slide in said slots as a result of moving the door between its closed and its open position.

3. A bracket as set forth in claim 2 wherein said slots are further characterized by radially spaced sockets for retaining the base portion of the stemware and inhibiting the tendency of the ware to swing with respect to the bracket as the door is so moved.

4. A bracket as set forth in claim 3 wherein said shelf has a bottom surface which is similar to its top surface With further reference to the shelf extension 50 an the door 14-and the first-mentioned corner or vertex 30 associated with the shelf 20. As so constructed and arranged,'the slots 32 through 38 inclusively associated with the shelf 20 can be seen to extend generally radially inwardly toward the corner 62 as a result of the-relatively narrow width of the shelf extension 50. So too, the slot 52 associated with the extension also extends radially inwardly generally parallel to the abutting front extension edge 54 with the same desirable result, namely, that stemware supported in the sockets 40, 40 in the shelf 50- does not tend to slide in the slot 52 as the door 14 is moved between its opened and its closed position. The shelf extension 50 is also constructed of a molded plastic material and is symmetrical with respect to a plane passed horizontally therethrough so as to permit use of this extension with either leftor right-hand opening doors. So too, the slot 52 associated with the shelf extension 50 has a necked down portion 46 adjacent its outer edge 64 so as to require a slight lifting of the stemware in order to remove the same from the slot 52.

Thus, the bracket parts 20 and 50 comprise a convenient kit which can be used to store stemware on the inside of most present day kitchen cabinet doors. It is particularly adaptable to taking advantage of open space toward the top of kitchen cabinets which are often too high for many persons to reach from the floor. As a further feature such a kit might also include an adhesive coated strip of bumper material for use on the door adjacent the and defines sockets for retaining the base portion of the stemware, whereby the bracket can be used on a door mounted for either leftor right-hand opening movement.

5. A bracket as set forth in claim 4 and further characterized by a shelf extension having a front edge which abuts said second shelf edge and an inner edge which defines a flange for abutting the inside of the door to permit use of both said shelf and said shelf extension on oversize doors, said extension having a rear edge which cooperates with said inner flanged edge to define a second corner between the hinged edge of the door and said first-mentioned corner and at least one stemware storage slot in said shelf extension, which slot extends radially inwardly parallel to said abutting front extension edge and second shelf edge.

6. A bracket as set forth in claim 5 and further characterized by means for attaching said shelf extension to the hinged door, and said front extension edge and said second shelf edge having cooperating protrusions and sockets for interlocking said bracket portions when both are mounted to an oversize door.

7. A bracket as set forth in claim 6 wherein said shelf and extension are formed from a molded plastic material,

and wherein the surface thereof in the area of said sockets is textured for increasing its frictional resistance with respect to the stemware thereby reducing the tendency of the ware to swing pendulously as a result of door opening and closing movement.

8. A bracket as set forth in claim 7 wherein all of said slots are necked down slightly in Width adjacent their outer radial ends so that thestemware must be raised slightly to align a narrower portion of the stem with the shelf when removing the ware than is necessary when merely moving the ware in the slot from one socket to another.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,903,796 4/1933 Smygel 211-66 2,371,433 3 1945 Davis 21 1162 3,114,485 12/ 1963 Whiifen 211-60 3,217,891 11/1965 Weaver 21 1-60 JAMES A. LEPPINK, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 21 1162 

